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www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 8 - Issue 2 | February 2018
InStudio
ATP And Gearhouse Test
4K & 1080p HDR Tech
A
TP Media, the broadcast arm of
the ATP World Tour carried out a
live 4K v 1080p HDR test at the Nitto
ATP Finals, the season ending finale at
The O2, London.
The test was designed to see side-byside, the two production formats in
a live tennis environment, as part of
ATP Media's commitment to trialling
the latest technologies to advance its
broadcast offering.
The ATP Media and Gearhouse team
were able to combine the Sapphire
HEVC system seamlessly with the
main production, with all the outputs
coming from one desk and one
Director's cut. This allowed them to
compare their existing 1080i output
with 4K SDR, 4K HDR and 1080p HDR.
ATP Media were therefore able to see
exactly how the formats compare.
ATP Media are now engaging with their
rights-holders to gather feedback on
when they will be ready to broadcast in
4K or 1080p HDR.
Test: The 2017 season ending Nitto ATP Finals, London (Picture: Wonderhatch)
The demonstration room at The O2
was also an opportunity for ATP
Media to test Dolby Atmos and
compare it to Dolby Digital 5.1.
As a globally travelling OB with a
big variety of Stadia, the test was
designed to understand the challenges
of producing in Atmos and to
experiment with what a "Tennis Atmos
Soundscape" could sound like.
Shane Warden, ATP Media's Director
of Broadcast & Technology said: "The
test was an important step forward for
ATP Media and the results showed that
1080p HDR could be a very attractive
format for us in tennis that efficiently
provides the huge benefits of HDR to
our broadcasters and viewers. We'll
need to do further tests to include
delivery, and dialogue with our
broadcasters around the world will be
important in our next steps."
Dominic
Gresset,
ATP
Media's
Executive Producer added: "4K might
be the best option for a one-off
football or cricket match, but covering
an ATP World Tour Masters 1000
event with up to four main televised
courts has big implications when it
comes to producing in 4K. As host
broadcasters we have to find the
right balance between creating the
best possible product with realistic
production and delivery budgets, along
with the capabilities and requirements
of our rights-holders." Discussing the
performance of the system, Gearhouse
Broadcast's Mathieu Rocton said: "This
is a real game-changer for us as we
are now able to offer our clients world
class 4K productions including wireless
video with low-latency UHD. We look
forward to working closely with the
team at Broadcast Wireless Systems in
order to roll-out this new technology
into future productions."
FOR-A's FVW-700 4K
Telestrator Ships
F
OR-A's FVW-700 4K/HD telestrator
has been delivered to its first
customers.
The full-featured telestrator enables
users to annotate and draw on video
using a touch-screen computer
monitor or wirelessly connected tablet,
and has been purchased by several
customers, including Colorado's Mobile
TV Group (MTVG), Columbus, Ohiobased video production provider Lyon
Video, and the Rochester Institute of
Technology (RIT).
MTVG is one of the largest providers of
mobile units in the country, providing
services for upwards of 4,000 live
events annually. The Denver-based
company has over 30 mobile units, and
was in need of a reliable telestrator for
announcers to use at sporting events
that it produced.
Philip Garvin, Founder & CEO of MTVG,
said: "We've owned a number of FORA's previous models of telestrators,
so we've experienced the reliability of
FOR-A's products firsthand. It was easy
choosing the FVW-700, and our new
units have been working well for us."
Another early adopter of the FVW-700
telestrator is Lyon Video, a provider
of mobile television production
facilities, full service video and film
production, post-production, and DVD
authoring since 1986. The company
plans to put the FVW-700
telestrator's ability to
receive simultaneous input
from multiple devices to
good use in production of NHL hockey
games.
"The FVW-700 allows multiple users
to control the telestrator, offering a
hands-free option for our client that
enables commentators to draw on the
screen wirelessly," explained Chad
Snyder, Chief Operating Officer, Lyon
Video. "We've owned many FOR-A
telestrators and know how robust
their products are, so purchasing the
FVW-700 was a natural progression.
We were also drawn
to the FVW-700 series
because of its path to
upgrade to 1080p/4K."
With
a
40-year
history of developing
telestrators,
FOR-A
developed the first
model of its FVW series,
the FVW-900, in 1977. The FVW-700 is
the most recently introduced product
in the series.
Without requiring users to work at a
console, the full-featured FVW-700
enables multiple users to control the
system simultaneously. Additionally,
a wireless tablet option is available,
making
telestration
in
sports
production a more seamless process
than ever before.
The FVW-700 unit offers advanced
Telestration:
FOR-A FVW-700
algorithms for smoother telestration,
including
automatic
freehand
formation with noise reduction, which
allows smooth objects to be shaped
and sharp angles to be achieved.
The unit also features advanced
edge joining and a chromakeyer for
more precise drawing. The FVW700 is offered in four models to fit
specific needs, including 4K, HDMI,
Thunderbolt 2 and all-in-one models.